


Soul Silver Adventure

by twoohugs



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: HeartGold & SoulSilver | Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver Versions
Genre: Adventure, Do Pokemon battles count as violence?, Gen, I Tried, My First AO3 Post, Pokemon Violence, Walkthrough Fic, i'll add tags as i go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-05-31 02:58:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 11,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19417084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twoohugs/pseuds/twoohugs
Summary: Follow our main character through the Pokemon Soul Silver story!i.e. me attempting to make sense of the storylineDisclaimer: Some of the dialogues are taken or adapted from the actual lines from the game. All credits to Pokemon Soul Silver.~Hiatus~





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first work ever! I am in so many fandom and I have no idea how I ended up writing a Pokemon fic as my first work but here we are! I am not very knowledgeable about Pokemon (I’ve watched a few seasons of anime and played some of the games) so if there’s anything terribly wrong about what I write feel free to let me know! I’ve never written anything like this so please leave comments and kudos if you like it:)
> 
> The first chapter is just a bit of background of the main character. The Soul Silver storyline officially starts next chapter!

"So yeah, I'm jobless now." Raelyn says around her mouthful of rice.

Mom gives her a small smile that is part sympathy and part indulgence.

"Officer Jenny has always said the position was only a temporary placement until the application for a permanent division gets approved." She reminds her daughter. Travelers reported having trouble going through tall grass full of wild Pokemon, and since Officer Jenny’s suggestion to open a new branch in the police force for the town has not been approved, Rae was recruited to patrol around New Bark Town and its surrounding routes. Now that the station granted permission to station actual police officers around the area, Rae’s help is no longer needed.

Mom added, as an afterthought, "Now that you're available, I imagine Professor Elm is going to try to recruit you to become a trainer again soon." 

Rae pauses in her chewing. "Huh, I didn't think about that. "

Her Umbreon, Itzal, gives her a pointed look, as if to say, "Suuuuuuuure." Rae pouts at him until he pokes his tongue out and looks away. The professor has never been subtle about his wishes for Rae to become a Pokemon trainer. “I can see your father’s talent in you.” He would say. He gave Rae an eevee on her fifth birthday, with the intention of giving her an evolutionary stone as a present when she starts Pokemon training. Instead, Itzal evolved into an Umbreon a mere two weeks into Rae’s care. “That was probably the first sign that everything about you is unpredictable and nothing is ever going to go according to plans,” the Professor had sighed wistfully when Rae refused his suggestion to become a Pokemon trainer to stay as a volunteer patrol officer.

"Of course, you can always say no when he asks again. Or if you want to stay, you can always apply for a permanent position at the police station?" Mom suggests half-heartedly.

Rae shakes her head. "Nah. I mean, I like the job, i really do. Patrolling around the town with Ciar and Itzal is fun. But I don't think I'd be satisfied sticking around here forever, you know? Not that I don't like staying with you!" She adds in a rush.

"I know you won't. I just want to remind you that you can do anything you want. All options are open, really, and I don't mind it either way." Mom simply waves off Rae's apology.

Rae stares at her bowl thoughtfully. "Well, I'm not sure about the Pokemon league, but I do like the idea of travelling. I mean, if Ciar and Itzal are up for it…" Rae trails off as Itzal rubs against her leg and gives an exaggerated nod when she looks down. Itzal and Ciar, her Ghastly, has been an inseparable family since she encountered the brooding ghost Pokemon near the trees behind her house one night almost ten years ago. Instead of scaring her, the Ghastly simply glared and her and Rae, frozen in surprise and fear, accidentally won over it through the unintentional staring battle. Unpredictable, indeed.

"...aaaaaand isn't this something you've been considering for the past few years while helping Officer Jenny out?" Mom prompts when Rae becomes lost in her thoughts.

"Yeah, and I've listed out all the possible pros and cons. But then in the end it all comes down to what I want to do, doesn't it?"

"Then you already know what you'll choose, don't you?"

Rae pokes at the rice in her bowl.

"You think I'd be a good trainer?" she blurts out.

"Look at Ciar and Itzal and answer the question yourself." Mom says, not unkindly but with a meaningful glance at her daughter's beloved Pokemon. 

Rae smiles uncertainly. "I don't know, I had your help with them. Who knows what's gonna happen when I go out and become solely responsible for a whole bunch of Pokemon." She tries to joke.

Itzal whines and pokes Rae on the leg with his snout, as if to disagree.

Mom leans forward, her expression completely serious.

"You and I both know you will do just fine. After all, love and care are the most important for raising Pokemon, and I'm sure you have those qualities. As for capability, well, I think Itzal and Ciar are the perfect proof that you can take care of Pokemon well. I taught you to be humble, but you have to have heard the Professor gushing about how well you raised them, how strong your relationship between you is, and how strong and healthy they are, right?" 

If you ask her later, Rae would insist that the sudden heat behind her eyes was simply because she forgot to blink.

With a gentle, knowing smile, Mom sits back and taps Rae on the wrist with her chopsticks. "You can think about it later. Now, just focus on eating. Look at your bowl." She scolds, gesturing at Rae's still-almost-full bowl of rice.

"I was busy telling you about the new police division in New Bark Town!" Rae protests playfully with a shaky smile, "and you taught me to not talk with my mouth full."

"And yet you still do it." Mom shakes her head, although Rae can see the corner of her mouth twitching.

"I'll think about it tonight." Rae decides.

"Sure. And now EAT."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the Soul Silver game storyline!

Mum is waiting for Raelyn the moment she walks down the stairs the next morning.

“You’re finally awake.” She says disapprovingly (Rae holds herself back from protesting that _it’s only 10a.m., c’mon mom_ ). “Your friend Ethan was just here. He was playing hide-and-seek with his Marill. “

“He’s probably still around. I’ll look for him later.” Rae says as she shrugs on her jacket and grabs a sandwich from the table.

“Oh and Professor Elm was looking for you. He said he had a favor to ask of you. He said he’ll be at the lab next door.” Mum adds.

Rae freezes with a huge bite of sandwich in her mouth and almost spits it out in her haste to talk.

“Oh dear you don’t think it’s-”

“We both he’ll be recruiting you once he knows that you’re available,” Mum shrugs. “And chew your food before talking, geez.” 

Chastised, Rae swallows her bite of sandwich.

“Okay… Okay. I’ll just go and-” she gestures towards the direction of the lab weakly.

Mum raises her eyebrows. “I see you’ve made your decision.”

“To be honest, that was never a hard decision to make.” Rae glances upstairs, where Ciar and Itzal are still sleeping. Last night, she voiced out all her worries to her two best friends, and received response in the form of eyerolls and pointed stares, telling her that she is being stupid. “I figure I should just go for it before my insecurity gets the better of me and I chicken out.”

“That’s my girl!” Mum pats her shoulders encouragingly. She then reaches back, grabs a huge backpack, and hands it to Rae. “There you go, here’s your bag with your trainer card and everything else you’ll need!”

“Mum. You do realise I’m not gonna walk out there and start a journey around Johto just like that, right? If Professor Elm really want me to start training, I’ll come back and prepare and-”

Mum cuts her off with a wave of the hand.

“I know, I know. But you never know what’s waiting for you! You know better than anyone how important it is to be prepared, even just for a short outing. Now go!”

Rae blinks at her for a few seconds before replying, “...Okay, I’ll be back later.”

She opens the front door, and immediately gets crashed onto her butt by an overly excited Marill. 

“Marill!” It hops up and down happily as Rae climbs back to her feet. “Marill, Marill!”

“What is it, honey?” Despite her aching ass, Rae can’t help but coo with a dopey smile, “you playing with Ethan? Areyouareyouareyou?” 

The Marill hops around for a couple more times before abruptly turning around and leaving as Ethan emerges from next door.

Rae chuckles as she starts off towards Professor Elm’s lab, wincing at her sore backside. “Oh dear. Not the best start of the day…” She cuts off when she sees a red-haired man peeping through the lab’s window.

“So this is the famous Elm Pokemon lab…” she hears him say quietly as she approaches. The man notices her looking at him, steps forward imposingly and pushes her away, hissing, “What are you staring at?”

Deciding that she probably should not have a physical confrontation with the man, Rae backs off, and opts to go into the lab and tell the professor instead.

The professor looks very excited to see her.

“Raelyn! I’ve been waiting for you!” He looks past her shoulder. “You came alone? Or have you decided to put your Pokemon into Poke Balls?”

“Hi Professor,” Rae gives him a small wave, “Itzal and Ciar are still sleeping at home.”

“Ah, I see. You know, most people carry Pokemon in Poke Balls these days, but walking with Pokemon must have some advantages. Just look at how well your Pokemon has grown! Now, I believe you have some idea why I was looking for you?”

Rae nods shyly. “I think it’s time I finally take you up on the offer to start Pokemon training.”

“YES!” Professor Elm clasps his hands together with glee. “I want to give you a new starter Pokemon, just like how the other trainers start their training. I know you already have two Pokemon, but I really think this would be good for you. You haven't raised a new Pokemon in so long, and you'll have to construct a whole team if you're going to challenge gyms, or even the Pokemon League! What do you think?”

“I think it's a good idea. Itzal and Ciar are pretty excited about having a new family member too.”

Professor Elm smiles. “Great! Now we have-” He is cut off by a notification on his laptop and turns to check. 

“Rae?” The professor says as he comes back to Rae. “I have this acquaintance that people call Mr. Pokemon. He keeps finding weird things and raving about his discoveries. Anyway, I just got an email from him saying that this time it’s real. It’s probably another Pokemon Egg, but we’re still so busy with our Pokemon research... “

Rae already knows what he is going to say next.

The Professor beams and spreads his hands in a ‘tah-dah’ motion. “I know! You can go in our place, right? Can we count on you?”

“An assignment already? Without any training?” Rae teases.

Professor laughs and leads her to a device happily. “As if you don’t have enough practice already, ex-volunteer officer. These are some Pokemon you can choose from.” 

Rae looks at the three labeled Poke Balls. Chikorita. Cyndaquil. Totodile.

“Cyndaquil,” she decides quickly, “I think a fire type Pokemon would complement my team best.”

At Professor’s Elm encouraging nod, she presses the button on the Poke Ball, and a Cyndaquil appears near her feet.

“Cynda?” It sniffs the air around it curiously.

“Do you have a name for him?” Professor Elm asks.

Rae crouches down to pet the Cyndaquil, who buds his head up and nuzzles her palm. “Hello buddy."

"Cynda?"

"What do you think about Aodh?”

“Cynda!”

“Yup, Aodh is mine.” Rae grins at the Professor, scooping the purring Cyndaquil into her arms. “I guess I’m taking him with me to your friend’s.”

“That’s a good idea. Mr Pokemon goes everywhere and finds rarities, But he should be at his house past Cherrygrove City now. Go north a little past Cherrygrove.”

Rae gives him a small salute. “I’ll be back soon!”

On the way out, Professor’s assistant stops Rae to give her five potions. “Raelyn, I want you to have these to help you with your task. Your starter is weak at the beginning. Don’t hesitate to use a potion if you think it is in danger.”

“Cynda?”

“Don’t worry, Aodh. I’ll make sure you stay all healthy and safe!”

“Cynda!” Pleased, Aodh settles back down in Rae’s arms.

“Thank you, sir. I’ll use these well.” She nods to the assistant and walks out of the lab.


	3. Chapter 3

Ethan is right outside when Raelyn leaves the lab.

“Rae!” He rushes forward, looking delighted by the Cyndaquil in her arms. “I see you’ve picked a Cyndaquil! So does that mean you are finally starting Pokemon training?”

“Yeah, and Professor gave him to me as a starter. This is Aodh. Aodh, this is my friend Ethan.”

“Cynda!”

“Awwww you’re so cute!” Ethan coos as his Marill bounces up and down to have a better look at the new Pokemon. “I bet your mum would love him too!”

“I know right? I can’t wait to show her!”

“Well then don’t let me stand in your way! See ya!”

Mom is, indeed, very happy to see the new addition to the family.

“Oh! That’s so cute! Is this your starter from Professor Elm?”

“Yep. And he has given me a task already.”

“What kind of task?”

“He needs a messenger, I think. To get him something from his friend near Cherrygrove.”

“Well, if he makes that kind of request, it must be important. Oh, by the way, your Pokegear came back from the repair shop! Just in time for you to take on your journey.”

Rae takes the Pokegear from Mom’s hands and hooks it to her belt.

“Well then I’d better be off. Seeya Mom!”

Rae sets off to route 29, just west of New Bark Town. She’s more than familiar with this stretch of land, as it is where she patrols almost every night. Even with Professor Elm’s mission in mind, she can’t help but spend some time training her new Cyndaquil.

“The wild Pokemon here are very eager to battle but not very strong,” she tells Aodh, “at this time of the day we’ll probably only meet Pidgeys and Sentrets. You can get some battling experience without getting hurt!”

“Cynda!” Fortunately, Aodh also seems enthusiastic about trying his hands on battling, if the way he jumps down from Rae’s arms is any indication.

With Aodh eagerly sniffing around in the tall grass bushes to look for opponents, it isn’t long before he tires himself out from all the battles.

“We still need to walk to Cherrygrove, honey, let’s save some energy, yeah?”

“Cynda?”

Rae sure is glad all these years with Itzal has increased her resistance to puppy eyes from adorable Pokemon. “C’mon Aodh, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to battle in the future.” 

“Cynda!”

* * *

An old man was standing at the entrance of Cherrygrove city.

“You’re a rookie Trainer, aren’t you? I can tell!”

“Sir, I…”

“That’s OK! Everyone is a rookie at some point!”

“You see, you’ve...”

“If you’d like, I can teach you a few things.”

“It’s OK!” Rae says hurriedly. “Sir, we have met before. You have already gave me a tour of the city and a pair of running shoes.”

The old man squints at her. “Oooooh!” His eyes widen in recognition. “You’re the girl with the Umbreon and the Ghastly! Sorry, I’ve never seen a trainer with a Cyndaquil before and I just assumed. You’re probably very familiar with the city, huh?”

“Yes, sir. There are no Pokemart or Pokemon centers in New Bark Town, so I come here very often, you see.”

“Well then you definitely don’t need a tour! Do you want a town map, though?” He holds up a card. “If you load this into your Pokegear, you will have the map of the whole region you are in!”

“That would be very useful. Thank you, sir.” Rae hands him her Pokegear.

“All set. See you, then! I wish you luck on your journey!”

“Thank you, sir!”

Rae pockets her Pokegear, bows to Guide Gent and leaves, entering the Pokemon center to let Aodh rest and get healed up.

As she waits for Nurse Joy to restore Aodh’s health, Rae suddenly smacks herself on the head. “Oh no,” she says to herself, “I’ve forgotten about the red-haired creep.”

“Cynda?”

She looks down to see a now refreshed Aodh nosing at her elbows curiously. “Nah, I’ll tell him when we get back. Mr. Pokemon’s house shouldn’t be too far away. Thank you, Nurse Joy!” She waves as she pushes open the door of the Pokemon center. “Let’s finish this quickly,” she says to Aodh, “who knows what that creep is up to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been posting everyday, but I probably won't be able to always keep up the pace, and I don't promise a regular posting schedule, sorry:(


	4. Chapter 4

Route 30 is not a part of town that Raelyn is familiar with.

“Should have been more adventurous, huh?” she huffs as she comes back out from the apricorn collector’s house( _oh dear I don’t even know who that man was_ , she thinks in horror), face on fire from embarrassment. At least the man seems so nonchalant about being mistaken that it eased some of her shame. “If I had wandered around more I should know my way better. We’re not even that far away from home yet!”

“Cynda?”

“Well, the man says people pass by him to get to Mr Pokemon’s house, so that must mean we're on the right way.” She squints at the distance, but sees nothing but tall trees obscuring her vision. Aodh, from his position on the floor, tilts his head in a ‘I can’t help you, I’m even more tiny’ expression.

Rae chuckles at Aodh’s cute expression. “Alright, let’s keep going. The professor is waiting for us.”

Although Rae tries to avoid wild Pokemon as much as possible to save time, the route is so thoroughly covered with tall grass that encounters with wild Pokemon are unavoidable. By the time they made it to the house at the Northeastern corner of the route, Aodh’s energy is mostly drained from all the battles.

In the house, Rae finds two men sitting at a table. One of them is in an Indiana Jones-type outfit, complete with a fedora; the other is dressed exactly like Professor Elm, with a long white coat.

“You must be Raelyn! It was I who sent an email to Professor Elm earlier.” The explorer man rushes forward as soon as Rae enters, shakes Rae’s hand happily, then turns around to fetch a bundle from a glass cupboard before she can respond. “This is what I want Professor Elm to examine.”

Rae unties the bundle and unfurls it carefully to reveal an...egg. It is white, with large green spots on the shell.

“What kind of egg is this?” she asks.

“A mystery egg. Literally. A friend of mine from Ecruteak gave it to me,” Mr Pokemon explains, “I bet you can’t find this kind of egg in Johto. I thought Professor Elm might be able to tell what this is. He’s the best when it comes to the research of Pokemon evolution. At least, that’s what Professor Oak says.”

“Cynda?” Aodh paws at Rae’s legs to ask to see the egg better.

“My my, look how exhausted you are!” Mr Pokemon seems to have just noticed a dusty, sluggish Aodh. “Here. Your Pokemon should have some rest before you return to Professor Elm.”

While waiting, the man in the lab coat walks over to Rae.

“I’m Professor Oak, Pokemon researcher.” He offers a hand for Rae to shake. “You must be helping Professor Elm’s research! I think I understand why Professor Elm gave you that Pokemon,” he glances at Aodh fondly, “you will treat your Pokemon with love and care, it seems. You seem to be dependable. How would you like to help me out? This is the latest version of the Pokedex,” he takes out a rectangular device from his pocket, “it automatically records data on Pokemon you’ve seen or caught. It’s a high-tech encyclopedia! I’d like you to have it.”

Rae takes the Pokedex gingerly.

“This is a great gift, sir.” She says shyly, “I wouldn’t have been able to afford it myself.”

“Oh, judging by your Cyndaquil’s, what’s his name again? Aodh? Judging by his condition, you will be earning a fortune from battles soon.” Professor Oak says good-naturedly, “no really, you’ll be doing me a great favour! Go meet many kinds of Pokemon and complete that Pokedex! Now, I have to get to Goldenrod for my usual radio show. Raelyn, I have a feeling that this is not the last time we’ll meet. Until then!”

He leaves after exchanging numbers with Rae.

“I have to return to the lab,” Rae says to Mr Pokemon, “Goodbye, sir.”

Rae receives a phone call from Professor Elm on the way back.

“ _Hello, Rae! It’s a disaster! Uh, um, it’s just terrible! What should I do? Please get back here now!_ ”

He hangs up without waiting for a reply. Rae and Aodh look at each other.

“Cynda?”

Rae bites her lip and releases a heavy breath through her nose.

“I may be too late to warn the Professor.” She admits with a frown. “Let’s go back quickly.”

“Cynda!”


	5. Chapter 5

As Rae and Aodh rush through Cherrygrove city to reach route 29, they are stopped by the shady red-haired guy she saw outside Professor Elm’s lab. 

_Geez, the creep have no sense of personal space._ Rae thinks as she tilts her head up to return the man’s scowl, putting as much disdain into her glare as possible.

“You got a Pokemon at the lab. What a waste.” The man sneers. “That’s a Pokemon that’s too good for a wimp like you.”

“Cynda!”

“Hush, Aodh.”

“Don’t you get what I’m saying? Well, I too have a good Pokemon. I’ll show you what I mean!”

“...shit.”

The guy has a Totodile. _Odd,_ Rae thinks. _Totodile is a very rare Pokemon. Unless he got it from… oh no._ However, there is no time for her to panic over what might have happened in the lab, as the guy immediately launches an attack.

“Totodile! Leer!”

“Aodh? Tackle.”

“That wouldn’t work against Totodile! Leer again!”

Although the guy is a creep and (most probably) a thief, he is competent and the two Pokemon are fairly matched.

_He is rude and egoistic,_ Rae thinks, _but he does seem like a worthy oppo-_

“Humph! You’re doing OK for someone weak.”

_Okay, nope, this guy is trash._

Rae decides to just ignore his taunts for the sake of everyone.

Fortunately for Rae and Aodh, while water-type Totodile has type advantage over fire-type Cyndaquil, neither Pokemon has learnt type-specific moves yet. Rae doesn't say it out loud, but she is extremely grateful for the training they had when they reluctantly went through the tall grass. If Aodh has had a bit less training, he could have taken a critical hit from Totodile's Scratch after having his defense weakened by the repeated Leer. Instead, they defeated red-haired creeper by knocking Totodile down with a final Tackle.

“Humph! Are you happy you won?” The guy seethes as he thrusts a few coins at Rae, “Do you want to know who I am? I’m going to be the world’s greatest Pokemon Trainer.” He pushes Rae out of the way and walks away.

Stumbling from the manhandling, Rae notices a trainer card on the grass. _Silver. Pokemon Trainer_ , it says. Rae raises an eyebrow as the card is snatched out of her hands.

“Give it back! That’s my Trainer Card!” The creepy red-haired guy, _Silver_ , says indignantly. “Oh no! You saw my name…” Rae can see the panic in his eyes as he realizes that he has accidentally gotten himself carded. Silver abruptly turns around and runs away.

Rae is torn between chasing after him and returning to the lab, but she reasons that with Aodh already exhausted, she is probably not going to catch up to the man anyways.

“Well done, Aodh.” She gently picks the small Pokemon up, letting it sag in the crook of her arms. “Let’s get back the New Bark Town, and we can rest.”

They run all the way back through route 29. When they rush into the lab, Rae sees a police officer talking to Professor Elm. She has never seen the man before, so he is probably one of the newly assigned officers for the town.

“Who are you?” The officer asks when he see Rae. “We are investigating the case of the missing Pokemon here.”

“Missing Pokemon?”

“Rule number one!” The officer continues as if he didn’t hear Rae at all, “‘Whoever did it will come back to the site.’ Oh my… So you must be… the one who did it?”

He points a finger at Rae, gasping as if he has just made a great revelation.

Rae gives him her best unimpressed stare. _Seriously, these are the officers responsible for our town’s safety?_ She sighs inwardly. _How am I going to argue with this logic?_

“Hold on a second!” Everyone turn towards the door as Ethan rushes in, shouting. “She has nothing to do with it! I saw it. There was a red-haired boy looking into the building!”

“I saw him too!” Rae chips in, “He challenged me into a battle outside Cherrygrove city. He was using a Totodile.”

Professor Elm groans. “Urgh, he’s definitely the one. One second there were two Poke Balls, then one goes missing and Totodile was taken while I wasn’t looking!”

The officer holds up a hand. “Wait. You said you battle the suspicious boy?”

“I did.”

“He must be the one who did it… Did you happen to get his name?”

“I saw his trainer card when he dropped it. It says his name is ‘Silver’, if that helps?”

“I see! So Silver was his name. Thanks for helping my investigation! My next assignment is to search for this red-haired individual.”

The officer rushes out of the lab, leaving the other three blinking after him.

“What an elite force.” Rae drawls after a moment, half in sarcasm, half in worry.

Professor Elm puts a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. “Let’s cut him some slack. He probably doesn’t expect anything other than troublesome wild Pokemon, yet it’s the first day on his job and he encounters a robbery. Poor fellow must be completely bewildered.”

“I’m just glad he understands Rae is innocent.” Ethan says. “I’m guessing now we have to leave it to the officer to do his job and find the thief?”

“Yeah, there’s probably not much we can do at this point.” Professor Elm nods.

“I guess I’m going home then. Bye Professor, bye Rae!” Ethan waves and leaves.

“Rae, this is terrible…” The Professor runs a hand through his hair. Then, he visibly shakes himself out of his stupor and asks, “Oh, yes, what was Mr Pokemon’s big discovery?”

“It’s an egg,” Rae answers as she fishes the bundle out of her bag. She has almost forgotten about it through the battle with Silver and the investigation. Luckily, the egg is made of much sturdier stuff than ordinary chicken eggs, and is completely unscathed. Rae hands the egg to Professor Elm.

The professor weighs the egg on his hand.

“Well. This egg may be something I’ve never seen...still it’s just an egg. Mr Pokemon is always fascinated by eggs.” He shakes his head fondly. “Well, since he gave it to us, we might as well find out what secret it holds. I’ll keep it for a while to find out about the egg.”

“Oh, by the way, professor, I met Professor Oak at Mr Pokemon’s house, and he gave me a Pokedex.”

“A Pokedex? Th-that’s incredible! Professor Oak is superb at seeing the potential of people as trainers. Wow, Raelyn, I knew you were a little different. Things are going to be fun!”

Not knowing how to respond, Rae scratches the back of her neck shyly.

“Your Cyndaquil seem to really like you, too!” Professor Elm peeks at the dozing Pokemon in Rae’s arms, “why don’t you take the Pokemon Gym challenge? If you manage to defeat all the Gym leaders, you’ll eventually challenge the Pokemon League Champion!”

“I’m not sure I can go that far, professor.”

“Or not, then!” The professor laughs. “Becoming the Champion is not at all easy, but you can certainly challenge Violet City’s Gym. Just do your best and see where that takes you. Challenging the Gyms scattered around will be a long journey, Raelyn. Before you leave, make sure that you talk to your mom.”

“Of course I will!” Rae’s eyes widen in horror. “I told my mum I was running an errand when I left this morning. I won’t just leave like that! And I haven’t even packed!”

“Oh...oh! I saw your backpack and assumed. Sorry!” The professor smiles apologetically.

The two look at each other for a moment and burst out laughing at the absurdity of their conversation.

“I’d better go home, then. See you, professor!” At last, Rae catches her breath and says goodbye to Professor Elm, chuckling all the way home.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The storyline suddenly starts moving forward a lot quicker!

Fitting everything you need for a long road-trip into one backpack is hard, but with Mom’s help, Raelyn manages to finish packing quickly. 

“Remember, Pokemon are your friends. When you work as a team, you can accomplish anything!” Are Mom’s parting words to Rae as they say goodbye at the opening of route 29.

Ethan and his Marill are waiting on the way out of town.

“So I heard you’re leaving for the Gym’s today,” he smiles, “I know you’ve never caught Pokemon, ‘cause the Professor gave you two and your Ghastly just kind of…”

“Came along by itself?”

“Yeah. So I’m wondering if I should show you…?”

“I know how...by principle.” Rae frowns. “And I’ve seen people do it many, many times. Apparently this route is a popular place to find low-level Pidgeys.”

“OK then, you should be fine. But I still want to give you these.” Ethans hands Rae some Poke Balls, “You’re going to need some anyways. And this Vs-recorder,” he fishes out a device from his pockets. “Good luck!”

“Thanks. I’ll use them well.” Rae clasps Ethan on the shoulder, “See ya!”

“Whoop! Go. Raelyn! The greatest Pokemon trainer is coming!”

“Gosh, shut up!” Rae laughs. She walks away with a wave, followed by all three of her Pokemon, hearing Ethan’s hollers slowly recede.

* * *

Wild trainers, Rae decides, are much more threatening than wild Pokemon. As soon as you appear on their field of vision, they pounce on you and demand a Pokemon battle, and they never take no for an answer. Fortunately, most trainers along the route use low-leveled Pokemon, so she wins all battles with ease, managing to teach Aodh his first fire-type move Ember even while rotating her three Pokemon. ( _Not judging, but seriously, why would you demand a battle when you only have 3 level 2 Caterpie and a Weedle?_ ) But the journey to the next city is long and eventually all the battles take their toll on the team.

She collapses on the sofa in Violet City’s Pokemon Center, her Pokemon pouncing onto the sofa to join her. Most Pokemon Centers offer sofa beds for passing Pokemon trainers, since smaller towns don’t often have places for travellers to stay in.

“You’ve all done so well,” Rae tries her best stifle a yawn, “goodnight.”

“Bre!” “Ghast.” “Cynda!”

* * *

Rae decides to spend the next day sightseeing.

The Pokemon School is a lovely place filled with young children who would one day become future trainers. They are delighted to see Rae’s Pokemon, and shyly shuffle forwards to ask if they can pet them. Rae glances at her friends, who are looking curiously at the small humans, and nods. The children are, thankfully, gentle and well-behaved, and actually line-up to pet the Pokemon. That means it takes much longer than expected, but at least the Pokemon are basking in attention instead of getting mopped.

The Sprout Tower is the complete opposite of the school. It is dark and secluded, and the only noise she can hear is the gentle _creak_ of the tower swinging side-to-side. This would probably be Rae’s last stop before challenging the Gym, so she makes sure she gets lots of training with her Pokemon with the sages. The elderly trainers seem particularly fond of using Bellsprouts. _Oh, right. Sprout Tower._ Rae slaps herself on the forehead when she makes the connection.

“Cynda?”

“Nothing, honey, I’m just stupid.”

“Ghast!”

“Don’t laugh!” Rae pouts at Ciar, but bursts out laughing as he does, their laughter ringing loudly in the quiet tower. Then they reach the uppermost floor of the tower, and their laughter, along with their steps, stops completely.

Right ahead of them is Silver, the red-haired creep. He seems to be in an argument with an elder.

“You showed us what you’ve got, and it is indeed good…” The elder sage is saying. “However, you should care more about your Pokemon. The way you treat your Pokemon can be too harsh. Remember, Pokemon are not tools of war.”

Silver turns around without replying, huffing, “You are no match for me. Those who lecture how you should be nice to Pokemon can never defeat me. All I need are strong Pokemon that win every time...” and stomps away.

Rae watches him leave and wonders, not for the first time, how someone’s morals can be so crooked. 

When she turns back, she realises that Aodh has gone forward to nose at the elder, who is chuckling warmly and stroking Aodh’s head.

“I assume you are here to challenge me?” He asks, lifting his head to direct his smile at Rae.

“Yes, sir. But if you have just finished a battle-”

“Nonsense. Come along, my child. Let’s see how well you have trained your Pokemon.”

It turns out that Aodh’s Amber alone is enough to defeat the elder sage’s whole team. The elder doesn’t look quite disappointed at losing, though.

“That was fantastic! Your Cyndaquil is so well-trained. You should do well in Falkner’s gym.”

Aodh preens at the praise.

“Thank you, sir. We’ll do our best.”

“Cynda!”


	7. Chapter 7

After dinner, Rae makes sure her three Pokemon are all well rested and ready, then sets out towards the Violet Gym. “This in going to be our first Gym battle! Are you ready?” she rubs her hands together anxiously. She’s not too nervous, no, but this is still the first step of her adventure, and she’d like it to start well.

“Bre!” Itzal, the big brother of the trio, has a silent conversation with the other two, and answers Rae.

“Great! Let’s go.”

The Violet Gym is SO COOL. Rae hops on the elevating platform with her Pokemon, and it springs up so fast she doesn’t even have the chance to fear falling over.

“Whoa.” The elevated platform is beautiful. And are those glass panels to the side?

Itzal gently pokes at Rae’s legs to remind her that she is not here for sight-seeing. Right. Taking a deep breath, she strives forward to the first Gym Trainer, who is snickering at Rae’s awe-struck expression.

“This is ridiculously high, right? But from up here, you can tell what it feels like to be a bird pokemon! Which is what our Gym focuses on, by the way, if you don’t know.” He adds in a stage whisper.

Rae laughs, her nerves temporarily forgotten. “I know that.”

“Great!” The trainer smiles, then straightens up, takes a deep breath, and says dramatically, “Let’s us see if you’re good enough to face Falkner! Spearow, I choose you!”

Rae defeats the two bird keepers with ease.

“You have more experience than most newbie trainers,” The second trainer observes, “Your Pokemon is kinda overkill for us. Good luck!”

Falkner, who has been watching Rae battle the bird keepers, offers a hand for her to shake. “I’m Falkner, the Violet City Pokemon Gym Leader.” He introduces himself solemnly, then adds in the same dramatic way as his trainers: “I’ll show you the real power of the magnificent bird Pokemon!” Rae tries to school her expression into a calm one, but fails when she hears the two trainers snickering behind her, and bows her head in an attempt to hide her chuckles. Falkner simply grins. “Now that everyone’s relaxed, let’s get started on the battle, shall we?”

This time Rae starts her offense with Ciar.

“Pidgey! Tackle!”

“Ciar! Hypnosis!”

The Ghastly’s superior speed is obvious. The Pidgey slows half-way through its attack, falls asleep despite Falkner’s shout for it to fight the drowsiness, and slowly drops to the ground. In its vulnerable state, it only takes two Licks for Ciar to knock Pidgey out.

“That was a solid strategy.” Falkner hums. “My next Pokemon is Pidgeotto!”

“Ciar, wanna let Aodh try?”

“Ghastly.”

“OK then, Cyndaquil, I choose you!”

“Cynda!”

This time Pidgeotto is the one with the speed advantage. Everytime Aodh gets ready for his attack, he is knocked over by the Pidgeotto’s tackle. Rae can see Aodh is getting frustrated.

“Aodh, what about-”

She stops when the Cyndaquil suddenly freezes and starts to glow.

“Oooh, it’s evolving!” Falkner also pauses the battle to watch.

Sure enough, the glowing Pokemon grows larger and larger, and when the glowing finally subsides, it is no longer a Cyndaquil, but a…

“Quilava! Aodh, you’ve evolved into a quilava!” Rae grins so wide her face hurts, and both Itzal and Ciar celebrates loudly behind her, although neither of them cross into the battlefield, since the battle is still going on.

“If you’re ready, let’s continue!” Falkner calls from across the field.

“Aodh! You ready?”

“Quil!”

The evolution not only makes Aodh stronger and faster, but seems to boost his confidence as well.

“Quilava! Ember!”

“Quiiiiiiiiil!”

The Pidgeotto is knocked straight out of the air by the fire plumes. Falkner gasps. “A critical hit!”

“Well done, Aodh!”

“Quil!” Aodh turns and jumps into a laughing Rae’s arms. “Quil!”

“Very nice. I’ll bow out gracefully.” Falkner walks over. “Take this official Pokemon League Badge.”

“The Zaphyr Badge!” Rae fixes the badge to the inner lining of her jacket. “Thank you, Falkner.”

“No, thank YOU.” Falkner smiles. “That was a fascinating battle. Now, if you plan on challenging another Gym, I’d suggest making Azalea Town your next destination.”

Rae bids Falkner and the two bird keepers goodbye, and rides the elevating platform back to the entrance of the Gym.

* * *

Rae receives a call from Professor Elm as she waits for her Pokemon to heal at the Pokemon center.

“Raelyn! We’ve discovered something!”

“About what, Professor?”

“Well, I can say much about the details, but we want you to carry the egg you brought me! You’re still in Violet City, right?”

“Yes. I’ve just finished challenging the Gym! We’ll rest here tonight and set off for Azalea Town tomorrow.”

“That’s great! My assistant is at the Poke Mart in Violet city. Could you go greet him and pick up the Egg?”

“Sure, Professor. So I just carry it around?”

“Yes! And let me know if anything happens.”

“OK. Goodbye!”

“Bye, Raelyn!”

Rae goes to the Poke Mart next door to meet the Professor’s assistant, who hands her the egg carefully. “After you left, Professor Elm received a phone call. I have no idea what they talked about, but afterwards Professor cried out ‘I can’t think of anyone more suited than Raelyn!’ and insisted I deliver to you.” He shrugs. The two share an exasperated raise of eyebrows at the Professor’s antics.

“I’ll take good care of it.” She promises.

When Rae walks out of the Poke Mart, a well-dressed girl comes forward and gapes at the egg she’s holding.

“Me oh my… That must be...!”

“Erm, maam?”

“I thought Mr Pokemon had this?”

“Yes, but he gave it to Professor Elm, who gave it to me.”

“I see. That egg is truly an important egg. Please do take good care of it for me. Is that understood?”

“O...kay?” Rae stares at the strange girl’s retreating figure in confusion, than shrugs and turns back to the Pokemon center.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It may be a while until the next chapter (depends on how fast I write) but thank you for reading and hope I'll see you in the next chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, here's an update for you!  
> Thank you for everyone's that have read my fic! Every single hit means a lot to me:)

After getting the first Gym badge, everyone seems to be in a good mood the next day. The good, sunny weather seem to reflect that as well, although Ciar chooses to stay in his Pokeball because the sun is too bright for him. Rae leads her Umbreon and newly evolved Quilava down towards route 32, strolling slowly to enjoy the sun and the gentle breeze through the tall grass.

“Meep!”

“Oh hello!’

“Quil?”

“Meep! Meep!” A Mareep is bouncing happily in front of Aodh. Rae does not speak Mareep, but she can interpret its excited hopping as “Play with meeeeee!”

“We should probably keep going, but do you want to come along with us for a while?”

“Meep!” And the Mareep bounces alongside them all through the route in its happy-go-lucky enthusiasm.

Route 32 is by far the longest route they have gone through. After wading through multiple patches of long grass, the group reaches a small river, full of clear, blue water.

_The fishermen are much less aggressive than other trainers,_ Rae observes as they walk by the floating bridge, since the men seems to focus on fishing only and do not push her into a battle when they see her.

“Meep!” The Mareep strives forward and headbutts a fishermen so hard, he falls into the water. Rae stares in shock. The Mareep is still happily hopping around, so this must be its way of playing around. Sadly, the fishermen does not share the sentiment.

"What the hell?" He says as he climbs back onto the deck, dripping.

"I'm sorry, sir," Rae tries as she gives the man a hand to help him up, "it's not mine and I didn't know it'd do that."

"It's not yours? I think it wants to be yours, though. The Mareeps in this area always just straight up follow people home instead of waiting around for trainers to catch them."

"Really?" Rae whips around to look at the Mareep, "You wanna be mine?"

“Meep!” It nods enthusiastically.

"What do you think?" Rae asks her other Pokemon. They are nodding way before she finishes. Rae laughs.

"Welcome to the family!" She smiles widely at the Mareep. “I don’t have a name for you yet, though. I’ll figure it out later!”

“Meep!”

"What about a casual battle with me?" The fishermen suggests. "To...solidify your bond. Or something."

“Meep!”

The Mareep bends down to what Rae assumes to be a battle stance.

"Go, Goldeen!" The fishermen's Pokemon does not come from a Poke Ball, but instead hops out from his bucket, splashing water everywhere.

"Mareep, I don't really know what moves you know." Rae scratches at her head, taking out her Pokedex for inspiration.

“Meep!” The Mareep shakes her head, and sprints forward, knocking the Goldeen into the water. 

"Tackle." The Pokedex's robotic voice says.

"Goldeen! Water Sport!" The Goldeen hops up from the water onto the bridge, and-

“Meeeeeeep!”

A bright flash, and the Goldeen flops down, unconscious.

"Thunder Shock." Pokedex helpfully supplies.

"That was… phenomenal." The fisherman says. "You've scored a powerful Pokemon."

"You are amazing!" Rae looks at the Mareep in wonder.

“Meep!” It fluffs its fur happily.

Rae leads her Pokemon into the Pokemon center and hands them to Nurse Joy to heal and let them rest. While she is waiting, the fisherman from earlier comes into the Pokemon Center, spots Rae, and comes to talk to her.

“I forgot about this until you left! I’m so glad you’re still here.” He says. “I was just wondering if you are interested in fishing? It is a good way to find water Pokemon!”

“I’m not sure,” Rae ponders. “I know I will need to have a water Pokemon at some point, but I haven’t really thought about it yet.”

“Well, better to be prepared, right?” The fisherman takes out a fishing rod and hands it to Rae, “I’d like you to have this. I don’t use this one anymore, and I think you’re a good trainer that can use this well. Oh, and it folds! So you can carry it around more easily.”

Rae takes the rod and spends the rest of the waiting time learning to fold it properly from the fisherman, who leaves only when he is convinced she can use the rod with ease.


	9. Chapter 9

Apparently Rae has to pass through the Union Cave to get the Azalea Town, so she steps into the giant cave, accompanied by all her Pokemon, including her new Mareep, Lior. It takes a moment for her eyes to get used to the dark.

“Lead the way, Ciar.” She whispers in the silence of the cave. The rock walls seem to emit a small hum, while absorbing all the noises in the space. Ciar, who can float up to see the way, leads the group forward. 

Just as she goes around a large lump of rock, a dark shadow bursts out and hit Rae on the race, making her lose her balance and trip.

“Breee!” Itzal the Umbreon spews a ball of dark energy from its mouth, knocking the shadow away. _Pursuit._ Rae bends down to poke at the fallen Pokemon. It is a Zubat.

“Do you think we should…” She gestures at the Poke Balls on her belt.

“Ghast...” “Bre!”

“OK, let’s try this… Poke Ball, go!” The Poke Ball bounces slightly when it hits the fainted Zubat, floats, and absorbs it in a ray of red light.

“If we heal it, it can fly and take us around, and we won’t need to, you know, walk through this maze and stuff.” She contemplates, gauging her friends’ reactions. Itzal and Aodh nods in agreement. “OK then.” Rae collects the Poke Ball and leaves the cave the way she went in-luckily they are not far from the entrance-and gets the Zubat healed at the Pokemon Center. 

It stares (at least that’s what Rae assumes it is doing, since it doesn’t have eyes) at her and tilts its head in confusion.

“Weep?”

“Hello there,” Rae says softly. _What is the proper etiquette to address a Pokemon that attacked you and you captured by knocking it unconscious?_

“Weep.” The Zubat doesn’t seem hostile, though. Its wings flutters as it flies up to Rae’s eye level.

“Can I keep you?” She asks tentatively. She never had problems communicating with Ciar and Itzal, but it seems that all different Pokemon have different ways of communication, and it is especially hard to understand the Zubat, who has no eyes. This is going to take some trial and error.

“Weep!”

“What do you think about the name Tsisia?” “Weep!” “We’re going to the cave again, you think you can help us fly inside?” “Weep!” “OK then, let’s go!”

Rae figures that Tsisia is too small to actually carry the team around, so the team, except Ciar, who can fly on his own, retreats to their respective Poke Balls. Rae still walks by herself, and only requires help from Tsisia when she comes across tall bounders that she cannot climb over, or when there is a strip of water she can’t tread through.

While she enjoyed the bright sunny day outside, the chilly shade of the Union cave is also a nice sensation, so she takes her time exploring the cave with her two Pokemon.

After the encounter with Tsisia, Rae expected to be ambushed by more wild Pokemon, and keeps herself on high alert. However, it seems the Tsisia is a unique case, and the group manages to avoid most other wild Pokemon in the cave, only stopping to battle a handful of them when Ciar or Tsisia express interest. _How do Pokemon detect interested opponents?_ Rae wonders as Ciar stares a Geodude down and she prepares herself for another battle, _guess I’ll never find out._

Rae decided early on the trust her Pokemon to help her navigate the cave’s complex interior, so she doesn’t question them when they lead her down a maze of stairs and small ponds, deeper and deeper into the cave. It turns out to be a good decision, since there are trainers scattered all around the cave, waiting to challenge any passerby for a battle, and the deeper into the cave she goes, the stronger the trainers are, and the more experience her Pokemon can gain (and also more prize money). There is even a trainer at the bottom-most floor who has a Charmander, a Squirtle, and a Bulbasaur, which are all not native to Johto and very, very rare.

Still giddy about having battled the Kanto Pokemon, Rae doesn’t notice that her Ghastly and Zubat has stopped at the edge of a pool until Tsisia bumps her on the head gently.

“Wh- what?” She follows Tsisia’s (eyeless) stare to the center of the pool, where a lone blue-and-grey Pokemon is staring right back at them.

Rae gasps. “Lapras!”

“Hello, would you like a battle with me?”


	10. Chapter 10

“Hello, would you like a battle with me?”

Rae’s eyes widen. “You can talk?”

“My psychic abilities allow me to communicate with you through our minds. If you prove yourself worthy through a battle, I will follow you on your exploit.”

“OK then. I accept the challenge.” Rae closes her eyes briefly the calm her mind. “Lior, I choose you!”

“Meep!” Her Mareep materializes from his Pokeball.

“Good. Let’s start the battle.”

The Lapras is very powerful, and is much faster since it does not need to wait for instructions. It is an intense battle.

“Sure, Lior, Thunder Shock!”

“A Confuse Ray! Duck!”

“Sidestep the Water Pulse and a Quick Attack before he attacks again!”

“Whoa, Lior, use Thunder Wave and Paralyze him!”

“You did so well, honey, come back and rest. Go, Itzal! Pursuit!”

“Good, he’s still paralyzed! Give him one more Dark Pulse!”

“OK, this should be enough… Go, Poke Ball!”

The team hold their breath and wait as the Poke Ball absorbs the weakened Lapras and flashes red while swinging side-to-side. After a moment, both the flashing and the swaying stops.

Rae and friends erupt into cheers. “I got a Lapras! Thank you everyone, you’ve worked so hard. Let’s get you all healed up, come on!” She hurries to pick up all her Poke Balls and leave the cave with the help of Tsisia and Ciar.

As she exits through the exit on the other side of the cave, she finds that the weather has changed and it is raining. She flips up her hood and run all the way into town, only pausing briefly when she passes by a well. 

“You don’t know us?” A young man in a black uniform is saying to an older man, “we are Team Rocket!”

“...Didn’t Team Rocket break up a while ago?” The elder says.

The young man scoffs. “Give me a break! We have not broken up!” He pauses for a moment, then adds, “Actually we did once. But we have come back to pursue Giovanni’s ambition!”

“Wha-”

“Enough talking. Shut up and beat it! Shoo!” The young man pushes the elder away roughly, who retreats into town. The young man then returns to the opening of the well to stand guard. Concerned, Rae follows where the old man has gone and into Azalea Town.

Rae’s first itinerary in town is to heal her Pokemon, including the newest addition to the team, Earendil the Lapras. While waiting, she walks around town and talks to the locals to find out more about what she has just seen. 

“Yeah, that’s the Slowpoke Tail, you see. The slowpokes have disappeared from town recently.” An old man near the Poke Mart tells her.

“Oh no!” She exclaims. The old man nods solemnly.

“I heard they are having their tails cut off and sold!” He whispers, to Rae’s horror.

“We have this tough guy called Kurt in this town.” Another man outside the Pokemon Center says to her. “He should be able to take care of it.” Then he points Rae towards a house at the corner of the town.

Kurt, and elderly man with a head full of white hair, is taking to a young girl in the house. He looks up when Rae hesitantly walks in.

“Good day, sir. My name is Raelyn, and I’m a Pokemon trainer. I just wanted to ask about- about the Slowpoke Well, and Team Rocket? The villagers says you’re the person to ask.”

Kurt nods thoughtfully. “Ah, Team Rocket. It is an evil gang that uses Pokemon for their dirty work. They are supposed to have disbanded three years ago. Anyway, they’re at the well, cutting off Slowpoke tails for sale!” Agitated, he slams his hand down to the table. “I’m going to go give them a lesson in pain! Hang on, Slowpoke! Old Kurt is on his way!”

Then he rushes out the door, leaving Rae and the girl blinking at each other.

“...Grampa’s gone.” The girl points out the obvious, after a while.

Rae shakes her head. “I should probably go after him.” She says.

“That would be great, thank you, miss!”

“See you later!”

Rae goes to pick up her Pokemon from Nurse Joy, then sets out towards the Slowpoke Well.


	11. Chapter 11

The young man guarding outside the Slowpoke Well is no longer there, so Rae lets all her Pokemon except Tsisia back in their Poke Balls, and carefully descends the ladder to Slowpoke Well, which is a lot deeper than she previously thought.

“Weep!”

“I know, I know, I don’t have wings like you do!”

Kurt is leaning of the wall near the bottom of the stairs, looking dejected. His eyes light up when he sees Rae.

“Raelyn, right? So, the guard up top took off when I shouted at him. But when I climbed down, I took a tumble down. I slammed down hard on my back, so I can’t move. Rats! If I were fit, my Pokemon would’ve punished them… Please, Raelyn, show them how gutsy you are in my place!”

“Me? But I…”

“You are a Pokemon trainer, aren’t you?”

“I thought you said these people are from an organised gang?”

“You have your Pokemon, you’ll be fine! Go on!” Kurt encourages, gesturing towards the doorway to the interior of the well.

Raelyn is quite sure that this is not the right way to treat young strangers. Letting Ciar and Itzal out as extra precaution, she braces herself and walks into the well.

Immediately upon her entrance, Rae is spotted by the Team Rocket young man she has seen outside the well.

“Humph! I was standing guard up top when some old coot yelled at me. He startled me so much that I fell down here.” He rolls his eyes. “I bet you, like him, are trying to stop us? How about I vent my anger and take it out on you instead! Go, Rattata!”

“Itzal, Confuse Ray!”

“Pfft, Rattata is fine. Quick Attack!”

Rattata is not fine. Confused by the Umbreon’s Confuse Ray, the Rattata seems to be unable to aim its attack, and quickly charges towards the wall instead, managing to knock itself out cold.

“You’re just lucky! I still have another one! Go, Rattata!”

“Itzal! Pursuit!”

“Duck! Yes! And- Hey!” The Rattata ducks away from the wave of dark energy quickly, only to be hit by a second wave of attack immediately. “That’s not fair! You used two attacks in a roll!”

Rae snorts, “This is how real-life battles work! Where did you learn to battle, video games?”

The Team Rocket Grunt sputters. “Wh- Urghhhh! This is just not my day!” Rae leaves him brooding and goes forward. Behind a large boulder, she is spotted by a female Team Rocket Grunt.

“You meddling Pokemon trainers are so annoying!” She says, raising her Poke Ball. “As if winning a few battles against us will make us disobey a direct order from Executive Proton?” She scoffs haughtily. “I’d like to see you try defeating us all, little girl! Go, Zubat!”

“Itzal, Psychic!”

“Zubat, Leech Life!”

“It’s OK, it can’t leech away much in one move! Give it a Faint Attack!”

“Urgh, fine! Go, Ekans!” Ekans hisses viciously at Itzal, making it step back slightly.

“It’s OK, honey, don’t be intimidated, I’m right behind you. Use Pursuit!”

“Bre!”

“Ekans, use Acid!”

“Dodge! Good! Try Psychic again!”

“No!” The Grunt glares at Rae. “Urgh, no I have to go heal my Pokemon!” She walks away.

“Itzal, are you up for more battles or do you want to rest for a bit?”

“Bre!”

“OK then just one more battle.” Rae walks towards where she sees a blue-haired man surrounded by Slowpokes, but is stopped by another Grunt.

“We can’t just let you ruin our operation and Team Rocket’s rep! Go, Rattata!”

The Rattata is pumping itself up using Focus Energy.

“Itzal, Faint Attack!”

“Now Quick Attack, Rattata!”

“You OK?Alright, use Pursuit!

“Oh no, Rattata, return! Now, go, Zubat! Supersonic!”

“No- oh no, Itzal!” Tired by the previous battles, the Umbreon does not duck fast enough and is hit by the attack, becoming confused. “Itzal? Itzal, return! Ciar, let’s finish the battle. Sucker Punch!”

The Zubat is knocked straight out of the air, but is soon replaced by another one of its kind.

“Another one? OK, Ciar, let them try their own medicine! Confuse Ray!”

“You wish! Zubat, Supersonic!” Confused, the Zubat’s attack misses.

“Good, now Sucker Punch!”

“No, Zubat! Get yourself, together!”

“Almost there! Finish it off with a Lick!”

This time when the Zubat drops, it drops beneath a ledge into a pile of rocks.

“Nooooooo, my Zubat!” The Team Rocket Grunt goes off to retrieve his fallen Pokemon.

Rae crouches down to examine the Slowpoke on the floor, only to find that its tail has been removed. “Oh gosh.” She tears her gaze away from the wounded Pokemon, and eyes the blue-haired man warily. “That man is probably going to be the strongest one yet.”

“Ghast.”

“Come on out, Aodh. We’ll need more firepower.”

“Quil!”

She approaches the man carefully. 

“My, my, what do we have here?” He purrs. Rae reels back in disgust. “I, young lady, am Proton, Team Rocket Executive. I am often labeled as the scariest and cruelest guy in Team Rocket…” Rae hears Ciar snort behind her, “I strongly urge you not to interfere with our business!”

“I have to stop you.” Rae replies evenly, “especially after seeing what you have done to these poor Pokemon!”

“As you wish! Go, Zubat!”

“Aodh, you’re on! Flame Wheel!”

The Zubat is surprisingly easy to defeat.

“Oh.” Proton looks crestfallen for a moment, then sets his jaws. “My next Pokemon is Koffinf. You will not defeat it so easily.”

“We’ll see. Aodh, Flame Wheel, again!”

“Koffing, Poison Gas!” 

Even Rae can feel herself choking in the gas. “Aodh, quick! Quick Attack!”

Once the Koffing faints, the gas dispersed quickly.

Proton seems to have a hard time admitting defeat. “Everywhere we go, somebody has to disagree with us!” He cries, then he grinds out through gritted teeth, as he packs up his Pokemon, “Team Rocket was indeed broken up three years ago, but we continued our activities underground. A small obstacle like you won’t be much of a problem for our mission. I advise you to be very afraid of what’s to come!” Then, Proton runs off, the other Grunts following him.

On the way back out of the well, Rae meets a now-recovered Kurt. “They’ve taken off, Raelyn!” He shouts happily, “And my back is better too! Let’s get out of here.”

The two return to Kurt’s house, exhausted but satisfied.

“You handled yourself like a real hero, Raelyn.” Kurt praises.

“No, sir, I am just an ordinary trainer.’ She ducks her head.

Kurt shakes his head. “No, this is important. Team Rocket was disbanded by a boy named Red three years ago, and they coming back now is very bad. At least you have stumped them a bit upon their return! Now, it would please me greatly to make Poke Balls for a trainer like you, Raelyn- don’t refuse- take this Fast Ball, and use it well.”

“Thank you, Kurt.” Rae carefully puts the Fast Ball along with her ordinary Poke Balls.

“Oh, and if you have give me Apricorns, I can make you specialized Poke Balls with them.”

“Really? I do have some that I’ve collected along the way…”

“Oh, a Black Apricorn! These will make good Heavy Balls. It will take me a day to make the Balls for you, do you mind coming back tomorrow to pick them up?”

“Sure! I’ll probably go challenge the Gym tomorrow morning… I’ll drop by after that.” Saying goodbye to Kurt, Rae takes her Pokemon back to the Pokemon Center for a nice night’s rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the longest chapter yet(?) It'll be a while before the next update, so see you later!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update! I have no idea how I managed daily uploads when I first started hmm

According to Raelyn’s research, the Azalea Gym specializes in bug Pokemon, so she makes sure to let her fire-type Quilava lead the team.

Stepping on a Spinarak-shaped life, she makes her way through the webs to reach the first trainer of the gym. She can’t help but look down as the lift moves smoothly on the woven webs, and bristles at the bottomless darkness below them. Aodh automatically leans closer to her leg. Speaking of legs…

“Argh this thing’s legs move!” She whispers. The legs of the lift moves up and down to mimic the movement of a walking Spinarak, and it is a rather eerie sight. Aodh leans even closer and clenches a claw around Rae’s leg.

“Not a fan of bugs, I take it?” The trainer says when the lifts halts in front of his platform. 

“It’s not that, I’m just a bit…”

“Queasy? Don’t worry, your reaction is one of the more moderate ones. Look at you, you’ve come all this way, crossing the web like a bug Pokemon!”

“That’s true.”

“Quil!”

The trainer sighs when he sees Aodh. “A Quilava, huh? You people and your fire types.” He grumbles. “Alright, let’s battle!”

“OK, Aodh, go!”

“Caterpie, Tackle!”

“Dodge it! Now, Flame Wheel!”

“Hey! That’s overkill!”

“...I’m...sorry?”

“Weedle, it’s your turn! String Shot!”

“Quil!”

The flame on Aodh’s back burns down the Weedle’s strings easily.

“Now, Ember!”

“Urgh, fire types. Are you a fire-type trainer?” The bug keeper asks as he reaches into his bag for a burn heal.

“Nah, I don’t focus on one specific type of Pokemon.”

“Ah, that’s better. I hate those fire trainers that just come in here and burn everything up.”

“Ah… I’d best be going forward.”

“Sure. Bye!”

The next trainer is just as sceptical towards fire types.

“A Quilava? Come on!” He actually stomps his feet.

“Quil?”

“He’s my only fire-type Pokemon.” Rae says, figuring that there is probably nothing she can do about this natural rivalry.

“Humph, that’s fair. So you’re not one of those bug-hating fire trainers?”

“No?”

“I’l have you know bug Pokemon are not weak! They evolved young, so they get stronger faster!”

“I see.”

“Now, let’s battle!”

“Aodh, Swift!”

“Wow, not a fire type move! I like you! Weedle, String Shot!”

“String Shot doesn’t work on him. Ember!”

“I take it back, I don’t like you! Kakuna, I choose you!”

“Quick Attack!”

“Kakuna, Harden! Try to hold on!”

“Nope, that won’t happen. Ember!”

“Urgh! Not that move again! Beedrill, go!”

“Another move then! Flame Wheel!”

“Wha- That’s not what I meant! Fine, go on!” The bug trainer crosses his arms and pouts.

Rae stops to switch her Pokemon up before going on.

“Aodh, what about you take a bit of a rest before facing the Gym leader? There is still a couple more trainers to go.”

“Quil!”

“Erm… Earendil is probably too big for this place… Tsisia, maybe?”

“Weep!”

The next trainers she comes across are two twins. “You’ll need two Pokemon for this double battle.” One of them explains.

“Ah, I see. Itzal, come on out!”

“Bre!”

“We will use Spinarak and Ledyba!”

“Tsisia, Wing Attack! Itzal, Hypnosis!”

Rae has never used more than one Pokemon at a time. _They work together so well._ She looks in wonder as her Zubat dives at the two bug Pokemon with a Wing Attack, distracting them and allowing her Umbreon to put them to sleep.

“What? No! Wake up!” The twins shout.

“This is the chance. Tsisia, Wing Attack again. Itzal, Pursuit.”

“...Wow. That was some very good team play. Do you do this often?”

“No, I am just as surprised as you are. Well done, guys!”

“Weep!” “Bre!”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll do very well in your upcoming matches!”

“Thank you, we’ll do our best!”

Rae almost gets lost on the webs and miss the next trainer, but just as she steps off the lift in front of the Gym leader Bugsy, he subtly points her towards a switch that she has missed.

“Oooh, oh. Oh, thank you, sorry. I’ll be back soon.” She pokes her tongue out in embarrassment and turns back to find the last bug keeper, defeating his Paras, switches her team again, and navigating through the webs again to go back to Bugsy.

Bugsy grins at her, then introduces himself. “I’m Bugsy. I am a researcher and trainer of Bug-type Pokemon. Let me demonstrate what I’ve learned from my studies in a battle. Go, Scyther!”

“Aodh, let’s go full power. Ready?”

“Be prepared, Scyther! Focus Energy!”

“Flame Wheel!

“Hang in there, Scyther! Quick Attack!”

“Uh-oh. His attacks are so strong! Don’t give him another chance to attack! Flame Wheel!”

“Hmm, you’re good. Wanna switch up your Pokemon before the next battle?”

“Why?”

“Aw, that didn’t work.” Bugsy pouts. Rae chuckles as he summons a Metapod.

“Ember, Aodh!”

“Hey, I didn’t even get the chance to attack! Fine, here comes my last Pokemon, Kakuna!”

“Let’s get this done. Aodh, Ember again!”

Bugsy shakes his head. “You’re amazing. It seems my research isn’t complete yet, yeah? You win. Take this badge.”

Rae takes the badge from Bugsy. “The Hive Badge!” She smiles.

“Quil!”

“It’s all thanks to you, Aodh, you were amazing.”

“Yes, your Quilava is very well-trained indeed!”

“Thank you.” Now that the adrenaline of the battle is over, Rae is becomes much shyer.

“Nah, it was a great match, see ya!”

“Thank you, goodbye!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you might have noticed in previous chapters than I ignore some rules of the game, for example some Pokemon learn moves that are not in their learnset, or Rae has more than one Pokemon out walking, and in the future I’m quite sure she’ll carry more than 6 Pokemon with her too. 
> 
> I’ve decided to not follow the first rule because sometimes it just doesn’t make sense that certain Pokemon can’t learn some moves that sounds like something they should be able to do? And the later two don’t really make sense in a story so.
> 
> Oh, and you may notice that battles generally don’t last too long, and Rae doesn’t tend to lose. That’s simply because I usually over-train my team when I play the games myself, so I’m used to one-hit knockouts and stuff like that? So sorry if you’re anticipating so tough matches ‘cause I don’t really know how to write those tbh


	13. Chapter 13

“Our next stop should be… Goldenrod City.” Rae says to Lior. The Gym battle took much less time than she expected, so they decided to make their way to their next stop immediately instead of waiting until tomorrow. 

Now that Rae has so many Pokemon, some of them prefer to stay in their Poke Balls and only come out occasionally, because travelling with such a large party can get troublesome. So for now, the Mareep is the only one walking with Rae.

Before they make their way out of town, Rae makes sure to stock up on repels. “We can still train with the wild Pokemon,” she explains to Lior, “but if we get tired these can make sure we get away safely.”

“Meep!”

Just as Rae comes out from Kurt’s house after picking up the Heavy Balls and saying goodbye, she hears a weird cracking noise.

“What is that?”

“Meep?”

“Is it from my bag?” Rae frantically opens her backpack to check. “Oh my gosh it’s this-” she gushes as she lifts out the mystery egg, wrapped up carefully, which is now shaking and making weird cracking noises. She sits down in Kurt’s backyard and unwraps the bundle quickly.

There are cracks in the shell, and they are widening rapidly following the noises. With loud _poof_ , all the shell pieces fall apart, leaving a small creature in the middle of Rae’s palm.

“Meep!”

“Pokedex, what is this?”

“Togepi, the egg Pokemon.”

“Oh, hello, Togepi.”

“Togepriiiii!” The Pokemon just looks really happy.

“Professor Elm is gonna be so excited to see you! I’ll take you make once Tsisia is big enough to make longer journeys.”

“Togepriiiii!” Rae is not sure the baby Pokemon understands her, but just gently scoops it up and leaves.

She has barely walked a few steps before she is stopped by Silver near the gate. Rae takes a step back instinctively, while Lior hisses at the red-hair man.

“Tell me something.” He says, out of nowhere. “Is it true that Team Rocket has returned?” 

“...Yes? They were terrorizing the Slowpoke Well, but they left this town already.”

Silver raises an eyebrow. “Why? Next you’re gonna say you scared them away.”

“No, but I beat them in a battle, if that’s what you mean.”

“Ha! Quit joking. You, beat Team Rocket? We’ll see just how good you are!”

“Wha- I don’t want to battle you!”

“Too late to back out, little girl! Go, Ghastly.”

Rae resists the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose. “Fine. Lior, up for a battle?”

“Meep!”

Stepping back to protect the young Togepi in her arms, Rae shifts into a battle stance.

“Lior, Thunder Shock!”

“Mean Look, Ghastly!”

“What did you even do that for? Thunder Shock, again!”

“Urghh, you’re just lucky!”

“Lucky that you used Mean Look for no reason!”

Silver growls. “You will not disregard me! Go, Croconaw!”

“Lior, Thunder Shock!”

“Meep!” 

It was super effective, and the Croconaw faints before it can attack.

“Urgh, I forgot Croconaw is weak against Mareep! Zubat, I choose you!”

“...Flying type is also weak against Electric types.”

“Zubat, Supersonic!”

“You OK? Try Thunder Shock.” Lior manages to fire the attack in the Zubat’s general direction, but unfortunately missed due to its confusion.

“Oh, I think maybe we should switch...”

“Meep!” 

“You want to continue? But…”

“Meep!” Lior looks really determined.

“OK then, I believe you.”

“Meep! Meeeeeeeep!” Lior starts glowing.

“Whoa-” Rae shields Togepi’s eyes as she watches Lior’s glowing form grow larger and larger, until it finally settles into…

“A Flaaffy!” Rae cheers!

“Flaaffy!” 

“An evolution? You really like putting on a show, huh?” Silver rolls his eyes. Rae doesn’t let him dampen her good mood.

“Lior, Thunder Punch! Show him how strong you are!”

“Flaa!” 

“What? This is ridiculous. There’s no way I could lose to a wimp like you!”

Rae raises a pointed eyebrow at the fainted Zubat on the floor.

“I will not be disrespected! Get out of my way!” Silver yells in shame-rage, and stomps off, his nose in the air.

“Ooooookay… Let’s go have you checked up at the Pokemon Center and continue, shall we, Lior?”

“Flaaffy!”


End file.
